Chef Paul Iskov from The New Vanguard on Melbourne Good Food Month

Paul Iskov

Melbourne Good Food Month is back in town now, so we spoke to one kitchen man in the know who’s got some exciting things on the go.

Name’s Paul Iskov from The New Vanguard in Melbourne and he’s leading the charge on what the restaurant’s name legacy will be in the southern food scene.

Iskov will be cooking alongside Matt Stone in their Good Food Month event, which needless to say, he’s pretty stoked for.

“I’m really looking forward to getting over to the East Coast and cooking for Melbourne Good Food Month. Matt is a great chef, really leading the way in Australia and changing the way people think, cook and eat, it’s going to be a really fun event and look forward to checking out the rest of the Festival,” said Iskov.

We had a chat to him about what to expect and how it’s all going to go down.

Why is food so good in Melbourne? 

Melbourne has some of the best restaurants in Australia and the world, it is so multicultural and you have a huge amount of choices, when it comes to dining out. There is a huge amount of talented cook’s and when you pair that with great produce from the region, you get to experience some great food.

How do you think what you do sets you apart from the rest of the Australian food scene?

I would say Fervor is different in a few ways, but the main thing would be we don’t have a permanent restaurant, we travel all over Australia and hold pop-up dinners for 1 night only. You might find us cooking on the salt flats, at the beach, or in the forest.

We also focus on Native Australian ingredients. Out of the 10-14 courses, you won’t find beef, chicken, pork, tomato’s or carrots, we use emu, kangaroo, honey ants, youlk, bloodroot, crocodile and much more.

What’s your favourite thing about food? 

Food brings people together, it nourishes people and it tells a story. I love spending time on country with the Traditional Owners, learning about the vast array of food we have in our back yard and the stories behind them.

What’s the most exciting thing we can expect from your event? 

Myself and Matt have come up with an East meets West menu, so I will be bringing some interesting ingredients from the West Coast, things like Youlk, Kulyu and Bloodroot and Matt will be using the best produce from the region.

See more about Melbourne Good Food Month at the website.

Paul Iskov Melbourne food